Authors
Sorensen-JA; Jenkins-P; Bayes-B; Clark-S; May-JJ
Source
J Agric Saf Health 2010 Jan; 16(1):31-40
Abstract
Tractor rollovers are the most frequent cause of death in the farm community. Rollover protection structures (ROPS) can prevent the injuries and fatalities associated with these events; however, almost half of U.S. farms lack these essential devices. One promising strategy for increasing ROPS use is social marketing. The purpose of this study was to assess the costs associated with the New York ROPS Social Marketing Campaign in relation to the cost of fatalities and injuries averted as a result of the campaign to determine whether cost savings could be demonstrated in the initial years of program implementation. A total of 524 farmers who had retrofitted a tractor through the program were mailed a survey to assess the number of rollovers or close calls that occurred since ROPS installation. Responses were obtained from 382 farmers, two of whom indicated that they had a potential fatality/injury scenario since retrofitting their tractor through the program. The cost savings associated with the intervention was estimated using a decision-tree analysis adapted from Myers and Pana-Cryan with appropriate consumer price index adjustments. The data were compared to the cost of the New York ROPS Social Marketing Campaign to arrive at an associated cost-savings estimate relative to the intervention. This study indicates that a net savings will likely be demonstrated within the third year of the New York ROPS Social Marketing initiative. These data may provide evidence for researchers hoping to generate support from state and private agencies for similar initiatives.
Keywords
Accident-prevention; Accident-statistics; Agricultural-industry; Agricultural-workers; Agriculture; Education; Equipment-reliability; Farmers; Injury-prevention; Occupational-hazards; Protective-equipment; Protective-measures; Risk-analysis; Risk-factors; Statistical-analysis; Storage-facilities; Tractors;
Author Keywords: Cost-benefit analysis; Fatalities; Injury; Intervention; Rollover protective structures; ROPS; Tractors
Contact
New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, One Atwell Rd., Cooperstown, NY 13326
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
jsorensen@nycamh.com
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
Identifying No.
Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U50-OH-007542
Priority Area
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Source Name
Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
Performing Organization
Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital - Cooperstown, New York